lake city olympics with barrels of government money. thrown the softball question by piers morgan, you excited to be back at the olympics now, he was able to offer another soft focus answer. >> are you excited to be back here now? >> it's great, absolutely fabulous. i have never been to an olympics before i was given the olimic job. i had done the same thing everyone else did. i watched the games on tv. to actually be here and to experience not just the athletes but also the volunteers who are working hard and excited, and then the whole community comes together. i think you're going to see terrific games that will be a long time in our memories. >> a public service reminder, here is the romney blunder that caused all of the ruckus in the first place. >> you know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out. there are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obvious nat is

something that is not encouraging. >> it was a stumble that even fox new's karl rove couldn't defend. >> you have to shake your head, president -- governor romney went to the london olympics at the invitation of the international olympic committee. a great opportunity for him, and there's lots of stories he could talk about, what a wonderful experience it was and how uplifting and he got making somehow or another a comment the brits took as an insult, but nonetheless, the damage was done. >> man, with friends like that, there was no need for white house press secretary jay carney to pile on. >> how would you critique thus far the last couple of days for mitt romney overseas? >> i would not. >> the assessment from the brits wasn't nearly so reserved.

and romney's misstep as well as his wife's horse captured the attention of late night. >> mitt romney annoyed the british by saying that london seemed unprepared for the olympics. you know, putting his foot in his mouth like that is not very presidential. vice presidential, sure, but -- >> mitt romney has a horse that he and his wife taught to dance. have you seen this? the horse will be competing in the dancing horse competition. i think we have some footage of the dancing horse here. here's mitt's horse dancing for -- there he is. that's a gold medal performance right there, boy. >> you may recall that romney also had the horse problem, evidently trying to distance himself from the rich guy image by pretending he doesn't care about his wife's horse being in the olympics. >> this is ann's sport. i'm not even sure what day the sport goes on. she will get the chance to see it.

i will not be watching the event. >> ooh, i don't know nothing about no ponies. when white house press secretary jay carney was asked if president obama would be watching horsebake riding events, he said this? >> he is interested in seeing every american entrant perform well, and he'll follow every event. and i think if his schedule allows, the answer to that question is yes. >> what kind of swagger does the president have? on one hand, mitt romney's olympic adventure may be amusing, but he's the one criticizing president obama's leadership. here he is speaking to the vfw a few days ago. >> sadly, the president has diminished american leadership while reaping the consequences. if we don't have the strength or vision to lead, then other powers will take our place, pulling history in a very different direction. >> boy, mitt romney is not horsing around there. stick or carrot. he talked about having the

strength to lead, but he couldn't even get through his first visit to london as a 2012 presidential candidate without insulting his hosts and embarrassing his allies back home. get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question, who will leave london with more fans? text a for mitt romney. text b for rafalca or go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. i'm joined by carl lewis, an american sprinter and nine-time olympic gold medalist. great to have you on, mr mr. legend. >> thank you very much. >> mr. lewis, if you were just tell me what went through your mind when you first heard about mitt romney's comments yesterday. you were a seasoned olympic veteran. what did you think about what he said? >> well, i guess i look at it differently. i was frustrated, and my comments came out of frustration. as you know, i have been in four olympic games. two of them in my own country.

i actually witnessed the volunteers and the hard work and the dedication of all these people. and i have been to so many games and it's always a lot of work to get them finished. but they're always ready. and you know, i was here in london for the 500-day launch, i was over here -- i was at the olympic committee event 100 days out. i followed the process all the way stlou, and i knew how hard these people were working. it was a little frustrating to me because governor romney actually ran the olympics so he knows how hard working those difficult situations can be and he should have know better. >> what do you think motivated him then? if he has that savvy, we assume, and he's run an olympics before, why in the world would he come up with a phrase and a series of sentences that really put himself on the outs with the brits? >> well, i think that it depends on how you look at things. you can try to find the positive in everything, and i think that you can parse anything. i mean, each olympic games i

went to, there was always a difficult time getting it ready, but it was always prepared. and we can always criticize everything. but then again, we can look at anything and say, this is a great part about it. but i think that as he walked it back, he started to look at it from that view and said, what did i say in the first place? i think he understands what he said, but it's still frustrating to the people working hard here at the olympic games. >> you have indicated how you have been involved there and you know how much work is put into this. it's your experience, i assume, olympic host cities do everything in their power to put on the best games possible. is that why so many were taken aback by his comments, because people understand how hard it is to put these shows on? >> absolutely. you know, there are more than 60,000 volunteers here working here. and so what you feel like these people putting in their time every single day, dedication, cities that streets are blocked, cab drivers, everyone is having a difficult time, but you know what, all hands are on deck. the world is coming to your

country, to your city, to your town, and they have actually built new facilities, they have created new times, they have done so much for the community. you're excited, you're ready, and then all of a sudden, you feel like someone said something negative about you and anyone would be frustrated. >> let's take a look at the now famous or some would say infamous response of boris johnson. i'm sure to romney, it's boris car lauv because it was a horror that was delivered before thousands in hyde park. >> i hear there's a guy called mitt romney who wants to know whether we're ready. he wants to know whether we're ready. are we ready? are we ready? yes, we are! >> don't you just love that british humor because he says there's a guy i hear named mitt romney. like i don't even know him. who is this guy? does that adequately capture the real spirit of the british as the games begin? >> well, really, the real spirit is no one can get in the way of

a great games. we saw a beautiful opening ceremony tonight which everyone will see, and then you're going to see great competition. it was like saying no one can put us down because we're going to put on a great games and the world is going to be happy about it. >> a romney adviser said mayor johnson lived up to his reputation as an ecsentic odd fellow. it was unbecoming to attack the governor in that way. there was really no need. shouldn't they try to stop commenting on their own blunder because they're only making it worse by further insulting their british hosts? >> well, you know, actually, he did make the comments later, but the reality is, i thought that statement was not in my house. you know, when you come to my home, then kind of respect it. i think that's the way the brits feel. it's understandable because like i said, they worked hard and they're dedicated. the real thing is for him to move on and to understand that these people are very dedicated, hard working, and it's going to be a great games, and usa is going to perform at their top level. i think they're going to have a

tremendous games as well. >> you think they can pull a bunch of gold medals? the basketball team, i assume, is going to win? how about track and field? and give us your handicap across the board. >> i think this will be one of the best games ever because it's such a close proximity to us. the language barrier is not that difficult. the traffic is easy. for track and field, some events in the disz nlss we haven't in the past, and the sprinlts, i'll go out and say this, we'll get more gold medals and medals in the sprints than any other country. >> is anybody going to stop usain bolt? >> america can do it because he's not the only one. america has been competitive in the sprints. we're going to be strong. i did this game four times, and i went to the olympics twice in the 100 meters. you cannot walk into it thinking anyone is going to win. i think the americans have a great shot. tyson and justin have a great shot. people are going to be surprised at the final. >> there it is from carl lewis. thank you so much for your time

tonight, my friend. >> great, thank you. >> a quick update on ed and his wife wendy. we informed you wendy had been stricken with ovarian cancer. i'm happy to report wendy has ben released from the hospital and her doctors believe she's on the road to a full recovery. wendy and ed have arrived back home in minnesota. ed is committed to be with wendy on her long road to recovery every step of the way. ed wauntsd me to thank the countless number of people who have reached out to wendy and him in his trying time. the big man will be back in his chair as soon as he can. we'll be right back. and i thought "i can't do this, it's just too hard." then there was a moment. when i decided to find a way to keep going. go for olympic gold and go to college too. [ male announcer ] every day we help students earn their bachelor's or master's degree for tomorrow's careers. this is your moment. let nothing stand in your way. devry university, proud to support the education of our u.s. olympic team.

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coming up, more fallout from mitt romney's euro trip with howard fineman of the huffington post. >> mitt romney's naacp speech didn't go over so well, but you wouldn't know it from his latest ad. >> and jay roach is here to talk about his newest film, the campaign. >> and don't forget, the whole world will be watching mitt romney's dressage horse rafalca

in this olympics. head to our facebook page and tell us if you want his fancy dancing horse to take home the gold. shouldn't we all be pulling for america's fancy dancing horse regardless of who the owner is? go for the gold, rafalca. we'll be right back. now get an incredible offer on the powerful, efficient c250 sport sedan with an agility control sport-tuned suspension. but hurry before this opportunity...disappears. ♪ the mercedes-benz summer event ends july 31st. ♪

i hear there's a guy called mitt romney who wants to know whether we're ready. he wants to know whether we're ready. are we ready? are we ready? yes, we are. >> ah, what a blissful diss.

we have seen how mitt romney's olympics comments were seen in london, but will they have an impact on the election back home. >> so -- >> like a candid response to a security question, and that -- >> and the british press -- >> is going to town. the british press should back off and so should the officials. he could be president. >> better watch out. his gaffes are defeating republican concerns about his candidacy. republican strategists are increasingly distressed by the state of the presidential race and wonder if mitt romney is missing a golden opportunity to recapture the white house. a conservative strategist told u.s. news, let's face it, romney is not a strong candidate. let's bring in howard fineman, nbc news political analyst and editor/director of the huffington post media grub. a very strong analyst.

his campaign was highlighting it as an important moment in his candidacy. how are they feeling about it now? >> it's important but not in the way they wanted it to be. mitt romney wants to show with every step, with every statement, he's presidential, that he has the grasp of the world and the grasp of the world economy. by the way, of which england and london in particular are very important parts, that he has that under control. well, he put his foot wrong, and he put his foot in his mouth every step of the way in london. >> he's got some continental drift for sure. are you hearing concerns from strategists about his campaign? >> there are three categories here? there are the people inside the romney campaign who think everything is fine, of course. who think this will go away in two seconds. and who think basically that the economy is so bad in their view that there's no way the president will be re-elected. and they think based on that

alone, all mitt romney has to do is avoid, as he didn't do in london, mistakes and keep his mouth shut, basically, and he's going to win the election. they claim not to be disturbed. i don't think they are. then you have the people, michael, who never liked mitt romney to begin with. and those are all the people, whether it's the manchester union leader newspaper in new hampshire or some of newt gingrich's supporters or rick santorum's supporters and so forth who are demanding that mitt romney release more of his tax returns. all the people who say that don't like mitt romney and frankly don't want him to win. then there's the third category of sort of institutional republicans who keep their fingers crossed. they doubt mitt romney's strength as a candidate. and they looked at this thing and said, can he get it straight? every time he does something unscripted, he gets it wrong. they're not happy about the campaign. so those two latter categories are not happy with mitt romney's campaign. even though he's dead even in

the polls. they say mitt romney should be ahead by five or six points. >> this ain't no trifecta, but given that trilogy to which you made reference, in light of that, your analysis, the ones who never liked him, the ones inside his campaign, and the ones who handicap him by saying we're republicans but we don't know how well he's going to do, is it fair to point out how differently candidate barack obama was received when he went to london in 2008? how would the camps respond? >> i think candidate obama's trip to berlin, and i think that's the video you're showing there, was a triumph, and really, it because the first time in i think modern campaigning history, at least in the united states, that a candidate made europe part of his campaign tour. and i think that sent a message to america that barack obama understood because of his own background, because of his own travels, because of his own biography that we leave in a global age, and that sent a

message that he would help bring america fully into the global age of multicultural, multidimensional thinking. and that was part of his appeal. it hasn't always worked for him, but it's worked for him pretty well on the foreign policy front. he gets quite good marks for foreign policy. his problem is that the enly thing the american people care about right now is the domestic economy. >> we'll see how the global dimension plays out locally. howard fineman, thank you so very much. >> thank you. mitt romney attempts to rewrite history with his latest ad. james peterson, john bramnick, and will durst will weigh in on that, and so much more. then, the regrets of a powerful hollywood director. find out how colorado's movie theater shooting has changed his opinion about violence on the big screen. his provocative message coming up. do you see it ?

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black voters love mitt romney. they can't get enough of him. but don't take my word for it. check out romney's latest ad. >>overnor romney's speech hit the nail on the head. we have a nation that is suffering economically. he wants to provide an equal opportunity to every american. >> americans of every background are asking when this economy will finally recover, and you in particular are entitled to an answer. >> according to the ad, romney's speech at the naacp's annual convention was inspirational,

well received, and a huge success. the one thing the ad left out, what actually happened. >> i'm going to eliminate every non-essential expensive program i can find. that includes obama care, and i'm going to work to reform and save -- [ boos ] >> that's the real deal. romney's reimagined naacp experience left the boos and reality on the cutting room floor. i'm joined by new jersey republican assembly leading john br bramnick, james peterson, and will durst, whose upcoming ebook is entitled the totally indispensable guide to the 2012 election. welcome to the show. professor peterson, let me start with you. is this intended to court black voters or is this a ploy to get independents to believe romney is a reasonable person. >> i'll take b for $100. the second option is what the initial speech itself was intended to do, which is clearly, he's not going to win

over too many voters at the naacp, especially with using politicized and racially kind of charged language, and racially charged because what he's referring to is obama care, something that has a disproportionate impact positively on the african-american community. the boos there were to send a silent message to the independents and to women voters, people he needs to pull into his camp if he has any chance of winning the election. >> mr. bramnick, rockne reportedly had to bring in his own supporters to the naacp speech. i guess it's byoo, bring your own supporters or your own, you know, onlookers who can help you out. is that insulting this ad to the black community in light of that? >> i don't know who is in the commercial, who is speaking. i can tell you this, mitt romney appeared at the naacp. barack obama did not. he sent joe biden. he would have been criticized if

he had not attended. he shows up, talked about the economy, which has a devastating effect on many people, and i think the unemployment rate in the african-american community is 14%. so it's an issue that hits home for a lot of people. >> how do you draw an relationship between what you said which are problems and what he said there, nothing of which, according to those who were present, spoke to the high rates of unemployment, spoke to the devastation of african-american communities with disproportionate incarceration and the like. what did he offer that would help them out in that speech? >> we know he's offering a change because it's not the same old same old, and we know he's a businessman, and i think whether people want to admit it or not, the americans want a change. they may not say it publicly, but privately when they go in the booth, they're going to say i think it's time to change direction. >> i don't think african-americans are saying that so much. african-americans are supporting this president to the tune of about 85% to 88%. also, the most recent poll, they're tied, neck and neck, 46%

to 46%. i don't know we can say categorically people want a change. and especially those to the left of the president believe romney is a huge sort of change from what president obama is anyway. >> no question. let's bring in mr. durst. i know you're a political comedian, but this ain't funny. more people are able to correctly identify romney's religion than obama's. in fact, 1 in 5 voters believe the president is a muslim. that's an increase since 2008. how big of a problem is that for the president? >> that doesn't include the large group of people who believe he's muslin, which is a loosely woven cotton fabric, and yes, this is confusing. this is low information voters. that's a new category that they use, and it means not so smart people. it's what it means. and the great thing about the category is you get to say it right in front of them. but there are people who are going to believe what they want to believe. we know that's true. and they want to believe that

he's not like them because they can see that he's not like them, and they don't want to say it's racial, so they want to say it's because of his religion. >> let me follow up, mr. durst. here is mitt romney who is an admitted religious minority. obama himself part of a christian church, and yet more people are able to identify romney's religion as a mormon than they are able accept the fact of what obama himself presented, that is i'm a christian, part of a christian church. how do you account for that kind of blinkering going on there? >> it's what people want to believe. and also, when you say christian and you're dealing with obama, then you bring up reverend wright, which is why he's been, i think, trying to downplay it. he's been a christian all his life. he wasn't born in kenya. he was born in honolulu in a manger, we all know that. >> right. mr. bramnick, when you think about the fact that the republicans have had, you know, to go to war, so to speak, for a

candidate they have not been enthusiastic about, when you see ads that have been heavily edited, how does it go to the legitimacy of them trying to reach out? >> first, mitt romney went through a heavy primary, and that issue was spoken about either off or on the record repeatedly. you could understand why they would know he's a norman. the other question is more difficult, and you're asking whether this is edited or not. all commercials are going to place the candidate in the most favorable light and to criticize a commercial because it places mitt romney in a favorable light, i think that's probably unfair. >> they change the facts. >> they don't have to be disingenuous. we don't have to accept ads that do this whole editing. along the lines of the poll and the acknowledgment of romney, this is a small sample. they pulled 2,973 people, very

small sample. i'm not sure how statistically significant this is. >> i have to edit this right now. appreciate you for participating. thank you so much. >> there's a lot more coming up in the next half hour on "the ed show." stay tuned. ♪ >> after cambrady's braaby punching accident, he has jumped 11 points. knloo coming up, jay roach on his new movie and how it mirrors the state of politics today. director peter bogdanovic on the role films play in the culture of gun violence. and legendary actress ellen burstyn on romney versus obama and her newest role in the hit show "political animals." >> it's inspired from the clintons buzz it takes off from there. i play sigourney's mother, an ex-las vegas showgirl. [ male announcer ] this is our beach.

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welcome back. the shooting massacre at the movie theater in colorado is causing a legendary director to rethink his past work. peter bogdanovic directed the 19 skate film "targets." it moves after the star shoots teens at a drive-in movie theater. but this month, bogdanovic spoke extensively to the hollywood reporter about his film and the growing role of violence in movies over the last decade. director peter bogdanovic joins me now to talk about the impact of violence in movies. thank you so much, my friend, for joining us. >> nice to be here, michael. >> you say, sir, that violence on the screen has gone up ten fold since you made "targets" 44 years ago. why do you think that's a problem and what do you -- how do you account for that escalating violence? >> well, i think it's like any kind of drug. you know, you take a little bit and then you want to take a little bit more and then you

want to take a little bit more. there's a sense of desensitivity. desensitivization, i can't think of the word, but the more you have, the more you want. so, i remember discussing this withorsen wells in the '80s, early '80s, we were talking about violence on the screen, and he said we're brutalizing the audience. it's going to end up like the roman circus. i said, what's that? he said, you know, killing and sex live from the coliseum. >> well, when you think about that, that desensitization that you speak about and this orson wells like understanding of the consequence of violence on the screen, are you in a position as a director and artist saying there are responsibilities that directors and artists have and they bear toward the audience not engaging in the most

extravagant forms of violence? >> i think so strongly. the directors, the filmmakers, any audience has a responsibility to think about what effect his work will have on the audience. and the more murders there are in a movie, the more -- the bigger the body count, the more insensitive somebody gets to killing. you know, i unfortunately went through a tragic event in my family. dorothy straten was a girl i was very much in love with and she was murdered in 1980. i think my whole attitude about violence in movies changed dramatically after that because i had lived through a murder. murder to most people is just a word. >> sure. >> they don't have any visceral experience of it. >> sure. >> so there's a huge body count in a picture, oh, well, it's

just a movie, you know. >> sure. >> but it isn't to me. i think filmmakers should definitely be responsible to the audience they're making the films for. >> sure. i stand to be corrected, but i think the name of the film was "star 80." and the film that talked about the violence that you personally experienced, what do you think about the film itself? isn't it ironic that you talk about how cinema has enabled the broader exprevention of violence. do you think the film made about your personal tragedy that is your tragic experience with death, was itself responsible, did it really point to some of the issues that lead to violence in the cinema and therefore in the real world? >> not really. the picture was very superficial, unfortunately. when we made "targets" and by the way, boris didn't kill anybody. it was a young vietnam veteran who was killing people. we knew we were dealing with a

violent subject and it was important to try to not glorify the killer, which is why we didn't have him killed at the end. a very amount of glory to getting killed if you know what i mean. >> sure. >> we decided to have him taken off by the police, which was a sort of inglorious finish. but i realize we were making a violent picture. it was part of the deal i had with roger korman, that was sort of what the movie was going to be about. but i tried to be as responsible as i could be in terms of how it would affect an audience. we didn't show certain things. it wasn't graphic. >> sure. >> and i think it's very important for filmmakers to be responsible when they are making a film of that kind of violence in it. >> howard, thanks to the great director peter bogdanovic. coming up, "political animals" highlights the down and dirty world of politics.

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welcome back to "the ed show." tonight, in our survey, i asked you who will leave london with more fans? 11% say mitt romney. 89% say rafalca. up next, award-winning actress ellen burstyn stopped by "the ed show" to discuss her new political drama, political animals. we'll have her thoughts about the show and the 2012 race coming up. and don't forget to head to our facebook page and like the ed show. don't you like us. connect with fans, share your thoughts. the ed show on facebook is the living, breathing nerve center of everything we do online. stay tuned.

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reviews. the steeries stars sigourney weaver. a former first lady who ran for president, lost, but became a popular secretary of state. sound familiar? >> i was involved in a diplomatic crisis all day. i didn't have time for a costume change. are you two really drinking already? >> tj started it. he said you can't make margaritas with jack daniels. >> it turns out you and and it's good. >> i saw the attendee list. why is that [ bleep ] coming? >> because that [ bleep ] is covering me this week. please do me the favor of not talking to her. >> it airs sundays at 10:00 p.m. eastern on the usa network. ed recently had the opportunity to sit down with ellen burstyn who plays sigourney weaver's mother in the show. >> i'm joined tonight by academy award winner, golden globe winner, emmy award winner, and tony winner ellen burstyn who

starred in "political animals." going to be a great one. great to meet you, great to have you with us tonight. "political animals" a lot of them running around, that's for sure. are you excited about the show? >> i love it, it's a really interesting show. it has a great cast and wonderful writing, and i think it's going to be good. >> a lot of material out there. it sounds like your new show used former president bill clinton and secretary of state hillary clinton as a jumping off point. tell us about that. >> that's what it is, a jumping off point. sigourney weaver plays an ex-first lady who tried to get the nomination for president and loses and then the man who does get it and becomes president asks her to be secretary of state. that's as far as it goes. it's inspired by the clintons, but it takes off from there. and i play sigourney's mother, an ex-las vegas showgirl. and i know that hillary doesn't have such a mother.

and also, the sigourney character has two sons which hillary doesn't have. and i think once you get into the show, you forget about the jumping off point. >> you sense it will be successful? >> i think so. i have sat with two audiences and watched it, and people seem to really like it. it's very smart. and very funny. sometimes. and sigourney is wonderful in it. the whole cast is, so i think it will be good. >> ellen, what about your life's work with a lot of democratic causes over the years? how do you view this election? what does it mean to you, what does it mean to the country? >> well, i'm very happy that we have in the white house an intelligent-considered man who is a professor of constitutional law. so i'm not surprised that the supreme court upheld the health care -- >> does he deserve a second term? >> i think he absolutely

deserved a second term. not only that, i think what is important is that some of the people who are in the congress and in the senate who are devoted to making sure that he doesn't get anything done, are replaced. so i think it's not only important that he gets re-elected, but there be more representation in the senate and in the congress of democrats. >> what do you think president obama has to communicate to american voters to get re-elected again? what does he really have to do down the stretch here? >> well, i think he has to convince them that what's being proposed on the other side is a return to the policies that got us into the trouble we're in. and also that he has put forward many really strong, good ideas to help the economy and there are people in the congress and in the senate who are committed to keeping him from not getting anything done, to the point that they're willing to have the american people sacrifice.

>> does mitt romney scare you if he's president? >> he doesn't scare me, i wouldn't say he scares me. i just don't think he's a strong choice. i think he's a man who doesn't really know what people are about. i think he's a man who has lived in a castle all of his life. and i don't think he's the answer to our problems. >> your show is about women's issues? >> about women's issues among other things. also about the wheeling and dealing of politics and what goes on behind the scenes. and the effect it has on the family. >> which is? >> which is me. and my two grandsons. >> ellen burstyn, thank you so much. best of luck to you. thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. coming up, movie director jay roach gives us a sneak peek of his new film "the campaign." he hits on everything from will ferrell's rick perry hairstyle to citizens united. stay tuned. so you brushed with colgate total and you didn't.

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and so too is the summer event. now get an incredible offer on the powerful, efficient c250 sport sedan with an agility control sport-tuned suspension. but hurry before this opportunity...disappears. ♪ the mercedes-benz summer event ends july 31st. ♪ welcome back to "the ed show." with our campaign season in full swing, it's sometimes good to sit babbling and have a good laugh about politics. and if you watch jay roach's new movie "the campaign" you'll be laughing until november. it stars will ferrell and zach gal funocs. the movie also features a cameo from "the ed show's" very own ed

schultz. >> i have a baby i need to kiss. that's my baby to kiss. >> excuse me. >> excuse me. >> you don't take a swing at my hair. ♪ my country tis of thee ♪ sweet land of liberty >> after cam brady's baby punching instant, marty huggins has jumped 11 points in the polls. >> it opens in theaters on friday, august 10th. joining me now is the director of the campaign, jay roach, who has also directed the austin powers movies and meet the parents. welcome to the show.

>> thank you. great to be here. >> tell us about "the campaign." >> it's a movie that goes at the way politicians have gone crazy. will ferrell plays a kind of lazy congressman who has a scandal at the beginning. he leaves a very obscene message on a family's answering machine and gets replaced or challenged by zach, who is a kind of upstart populist candidate who is not well equipped for it. >> yeah. so are there real life inspirations you have drawn from in order to fuel not only this film, but you have done quite a few, campaign or at least political films. tell us, are there real life figures or moments or scenes that really fuel your imagination? >> there are moments all throughout. i mean, will ferrell has said he borrowed the hair from john edwards. and i talked to the hair people and said throw in a little rick perry, too, because the hair is key. and you know, i think from my

research doing the hbo films i have done about politics, there's such a fascinating thing that goes on behind the scenes in that kind of win at all cost smear and be smeared kind of game. and the spin doctors are pushing, and that whole thing of making a bad thing, you know, that's the candidate's background turn into a good thing or your opponent's good things bad. it's like alchemy. a lot of that is throughout the film. >> do you find in making these kind of politically themed films that you have to be hypersensitive about whether or not it's read with one idealogical spin or the other, is there neutral ground, or are you concerned about that? >> we wanted it to be not particularly partisan. it's funny first and foremost. zach and will, two of the funniest guys ever. we wanted to pit them against each other as much as we could. so we of course made one a democrat and one a republican, and it became sort of an equal

opportunity skewering of, you know, the whole political system more than picking on one party. i would say the only thing it probably has -- takes a stand on is the notion of the billions of dollars and how they drive these guys at such high stakes to just, you know, trash each other constantly in these negative campaign ads. >> this is your third political campaign movie in recent years. what is it about politics that draws your best director energy out? >> i fuel primarily in my career by terror, anxiety, you know, anything that scares me, because i tend to either want to have a serious discussion about it in a film or find some therapeutic humo humor, and like everybody else, i'm nervous about how the political system works. it doesn't seem to be working all that well at getting at the issues, at encouraging the very

best at every possible chance for candidates to step forward and run for office. and once they get there, it seems to just grind them up or transform them into smns you barely recognize from who they were originally. so i don't know. i'm fascinated by the topic. >> so what real life politician would most likely punch a baby in the face like will ferrell ends up doing in your film? >> i think the way we tried to tell it, it could happen to anybody. it's a horrible accident. and what was left out of the clip is that the incredible visual effects thing we had to do. apparently, you can't show an actual impact on family tv, but if you have seen raging bull, the way the baby's face rippled through the shot and before the pacifier flew out. it's meant to show how this somewhat idiotic, you know,

candidate could go so far, get caught up in the negativity, he could miss a punch aimed at his opponent and cause some kla collateral damage with a tiny child. the baby was not harmed. that baby actually kept laughing because it loved will's face. we shot it in such slow motion. we made him act in slow motion, too. the baby kept giggling because he loved the contact. >> i'm glad you said that. often at home when i'm acting parts, i act in slow motion so that ledz me know if he can do it, i'm doing the same thing. >> that's part of every audition for me, can you act in slow motion? >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you. great to be here. thank you. >> that's "the ed show." i'm michael eric dyson in for ed schultz. the "rachel maddow show" starts now. melissa harris-perry is filling in tonight. >> thank you. >> have a good night. >> thank you, you too. and also, thanks to all of you

at home for staying with us for the next hour. four years ago this week, presidential candidate senator barack obama was wrapping up a worldwide tour through europe and the middle east. designed to amp up his foreign policy credentials. here's what that looked like. as many as 200,000 people crowded their way into berlin's tear garden park to hear senator obama's vision for the world in july of 2008 and to cheer. and cheer, and cheer some more. >> the greatest danger of all is to allow nuance to divide us from one another, the walls between old allies on either side of the atlantic cannot stand. the walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. the walls between races and tribes, natives and immigrants, christians and muslims and jews

cannot stand. these now are the walls we must tear down. >> senator obama was greeted abroad like a political rock star. and not just by his tens of thousands of adoring fans. as frank rich put it at the time, senator obama was treated like a, quote, president in waiting by fourn heads of state and the media, too. four years later, it's election season again and there's a new candidate out to prove his foreign policy bone afeedies, and this week, it's mitt romney's turn to tour the world and try to look presidential, so mr. romney, you might have heard, is not having the same kind of foreign policy trip that barack obama had four years ago. yesterday's headlines were dominated with fallout from mr. romney's gaffe-filled first day abroad, including his total diss of lund un's olympic hosting abilities and today's were all about his embarrassing walk back of said gaffes. back home, bobby